Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-02-12


and MS. Johnson allowed" it was, too, and the
| story went on:
n day or TWO managed nge to 60 over to the
seem over-pleased to see me, III say that for her,
she treated me wen enough, and asked me right
girl was GLAD to see met Aunt Nancy she says,
is Sarahss baby blgger'n mine?' an she turned
down the kiver and showed me the little mite Of a
| boy, with such wrinkled Old face! 1 wonder
| what does make pore weakly baby look so much
like old folks, anyhow Did you ever notice 1t, Mis-
sOh. yes, often" said Mrs johnson. .sThere
was my Sias, looked just like his Grandfather
| weakly?"
II saw it was in a minute, said Aunt Nancy,
praised it all could. said it wasn't as big as SaryA
.Mis Curtis she shifted sort O. scornful, an says
motherd knowed how to take keer OF herself an
then she says We'll, amt no time to be a fool
! in. must go to work.
~ suppose you've got GIRL says !.
"'No, amt, says she: an what's more, don't
want one ] never seen one yet that they didn't
! eat an waste more than their work came to- let
alone their wages: an'off she went down stairs.
"Rhody said nothing for minute, an. didn't
- pucker its face and Cry little, bout as loud
young kitten. thought OF Sarys squaller Of boy.
but didn't say anything, and when it was quiet
"..Aunt Nancy, is my baby like sarys baby2
and she looked so pitiful felt as II could cry.
well says, 'Sary's Is bigger. Why do you
| "Her lips quivered, an she says:
Everybody at sees it says, What an Old-fash-
toned baby! Poor little thingi Rely It's 50 odd
looking is it odd, Aunt Nancy? An is there
| fashions In babies? 1 thought babies were all
/ down her white face.
| II tried TO cheer her up. She was baby her,
went down and made her some toast and tea, and
then fed the baby and got 1t TO sleep. an left her
| feelin' pretty cheerful.
"After that went over as often as ever could,
and sometimes carried a little SOmethin' cooked
| to Rhody, but saw Mis- Curtis didn't thank me-
| Once she's good as said so-said her victuals was
| good 'nough for anybody Says l. Sick folks like
strange cookin' sometimes. Mis- Curtis, an Rhody
aIluis liked my ways Which was an unfortunate
thing Tor me 10 say, fur Mis- curtis she flew all to
| pieces and said put mischief in Rhody's head.
Here she says SIS her baby three weeks old an
afore her baby was that old. an know it, an if
Mis- ahody can't wait on herself now. she can go
| 'thout wa1tin' on for all OF me- she says.
"'Mis' Curtis says !. my Sary'S a different
woman from RhOdy'
..s guess she is says MIS- curtis mad as fire.
"'AD,' says J., Jim ought to get somebody to
help wait on RhOdy and take care OF the baby
says |, 'or else It's my piniOn he won't have EN-
long, mr., says l. 9hOdy is gettin' weaker instead
OF stronger, and she a1nJ got milk fur that pore
baby
'1hen Mis- Curtis, she jes' let loose an ketched
1t. She said ii was all my dOins that Jim mar
ried that pore no'count, stuck-up school mistress,
an brought her there to be waited on, an she
knowed it all along, and now / needn't come
a-try1ng to make out as RhOdy wasn't treated
WELL fur she had wore herself out trottin' up and
down stairs, an she didn't mean to do 1t any
Just then the kitchen door was opened and old
Mr.. curtis come in.
"'why howdy, Aunt Nancy says he as cheerful,
thought knowed he must have seen somethin'
was up"
eyes, interrupted Mrs. johnson, angrfly, 'that's
| spise sich ways Why didn't he make her behave
herself? Suppose there was a fuss; If she'd
found he was goin' to be boss shed soon give up
Il guess NOT. MIS- Johnson Said the other, "She
had sich a temper
CAS- ii didn't know that; an 1 know when folks
give up TO sich tempers they make m worse
Wouldn't ii been better if ole man Curtis had jes'
let her see from the first that he didn't care for
her temper? Why, she jesse naturally drove her
that drunken. shiftless Ned Pelton, and Betsy mar
red TO old widower with seven or eight children,
and hum nearly as Old as her father! tell you,
Aunt Nancy. Curtis is to blame"
"Neu, said the Old lady gently, 81 went up
stairs ard found Rhody looking bettern ex-
pected, with that midget Of baby with its eyes
wide open on her lap. She was glad to see me.
80, Aunt Nancyr she cried before got my
hunGit of, Jim has rented the old Duncan place
| and as soon as I am able We are going there to
live. He is over there now fixing up.
"Ah, ha, thought l. sthaIS what's up but
said was glad, and that had brought her some
sponge cake and other things: anil unused the
baby while she ct lttle-a mighty little 1 was
been 10 the doctor about her, am he said she
needed tonics and he sent her soma, an she was
goin TO take the med'cin an would soon be wen
and strong, an so happy! But, Aunt Nancy she
says. baby don't grow bit. I'm afraid he Is too
Old-faShiOned. Mother Curtis says 1 don't stir
that's ft-that baby don't get enough to make him
grow because can't eat?' She looked so weak and
pitifu.
81 says, wen, 1T amt your fault; reckon you
can't make yourself eat
'She laughed little. You are such comfort,
Auntle. she says, but that wonderful tonic II set
'An' 50 | left her an went nome, promising to be
back IN day or two an take her home with me
Tor a little visit IL she was strong enough. You'd
les oughter TO seen her face when said that; 1t
Jes' lit up.
"'Mother Curtise' she whispered.
"Oh,' says l. she'll be glad to get rid of you for
while an went on plannin' how I'd see Jim
and make him bring her over. But it did seem as
that very eTenin set in to rain, that stiened
the ole man up bad, an ford days he could not move
hisself an was KEEP close at home for three
weeks, hearin from the neighbors every once In a
While that Rhody was gainin slowly, but the
baby Wasn rga1 79@e aSs oo,,,s ron,
an purity spell OF weather SOt In, but there was
garden TO make, an soap to bile an another week
slipped away, an says to Jonathan, says l. AS
sure as live am going to see RhOdy tO-mOrrer ef
Old Mis- Curtis III let me tn:' an the words wasn't
hardy out OF my mouth when somebody knocked
az the door. Come ill.,, says I, and who was it but
old man Curtis, looking like ghost. What's the
matter? says /. He rally couldn't speak for q
an the baby, and COMM but sensed it all an, in
iessn a mint was ready an in the buggy with
him.
"From what j could make out as we dr,1v as fast
as We could, Jim had been away from home over
10 the Duncan place from airy in the mOrnin' till
about ) o'clock that afternoon. When he got home
ne run right up TO Rhody'S room, an found her a
settln there with the baby In her arms asleep he
thought, but when he spoke to Rhody, she begun
70 scream, so that he was scared an TUX hold of
the baby an It was dead.
Then he hOllered,' said the old man, IAN me
an Mary Ann an Tom that's the hired inan) ran
up there, IOr We was JeS Settin' down TO supper
an when we saw what IL was Tom went for the
doctor and came for YOU
AN O, Miss johnson, never want to see such
sights agin! The baby was dead, sure enough
poor little thing, an out OF It's misery but RhCdy
she jes went out o. one faint into another till the
doctor came, an then we worked over her a
long time, an when she quit faintin' she was raw
In In high fever. Dangerous, the doctor said, an
turned everybody but Jim and me out O. the
room. Such an awful time! RhOdy would scream
oh. do come, Mother! Mother! Mother! Babyis
Cyin'. Till she couldn't scream any more an then
shed ask for the baby, an lie still, wattfn' like
an then scream again.
IT was midnight before the doctor got her quiet
and then she lay In stupor like, with Jim settin'
Watch1n her. Then thought or the pore baby am
went to see about IL, but some OF the other neigh
cors ned come IN. an found they had 1t laid out
nice in the pa,lor.
'.Mis Curtis was settin' by the kitchen steve fur
IL was cool eveBiD, an says to her, Mary Ann
says l, what allied the child? 1t was tux seddent
wasn't it"'
''She looked at me. Iknowed she was mad as
well as Ieein bad. but she didn't want to show it
then, aa she says:
''IeS. reckon you might say IL was, though
never spected the child to live from the first
Whatd jim marry that no count Spindly girl fur?
he might IA knowe1.'